PATRICK CLARKE | TravelPulse.Com

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has become the first hotel brand to offer room keys in Apple Wallet on iPhone and Apple Watch.

Currently available at six participating U.S. hotels, including Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Hyatt Centric Key West Resort & Spa, Hyatt House Chicago/West Loop-Fulton Market, Hyatt House Dallas/Richardson, Hyatt Place Fremont/Silicon Valley and Hyatt Regency Long Beach, the new contactless key technology allows World of Hyatt guests to conveniently tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock their guestroom as well as key card-protected common areas like gyms, pools and elevators without having to open an app or use a traditional plastic room key.

After completing a reservation at a participating property, World of Hyatt members can use the app to add their room key to Apple Wallet. They’ll be notified when it’s time for check-in. After check-in, the key is activated and will show the guest’s room number. In addition to their own room, guests looking to access key card-protected common areas can simply hold their device near the door’s NFC-enabled lock to gain access.

In the event that a World of Hyatt guest needs to change rooms, extend their stay or gain access to late checkout, the hotel can update the guest’s room key in Apple Wallet remotely so there’s no need to visit the front desk. At check-out, guests can complete the process through the World of Hyatt app to deactivate their key and be on their way.

With Express Mode, guests don’t need to unlock their device to use their room key in Apple Wallet. Even if their iPhone needs to be charged, they can still use it to unlock their room or common areas for up to five hours with automatic Power Reserve.

The new feature also takes full advantage of the privacy and security built into the iPhone and Apple Watch. When or where a World of Hyatt guest uses a room key in Apple Wallet is never shared with Apple or stored on Apple servers, Hyatt said.

“Like everything we do at Hyatt, our approach to technology always includes listening to our guests and members. We heard that they want access to be near-instantaneous. Room keys in Apple Wallet is an easy, convenient and secure room key option for our guests when they travel,” Julia Vander Ploeg, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Digital and Technology, Hyatt, said in a statement. “We are proud to work with Apple to launch this game-changing digital experience. Many consumer technologies evolve through a ‘tipping point’ that drives a change in adoption. We believe our collaboration with Apple on this new approach to room keys in Apple Wallet can be exactly that.”